What do Russias Belgorod province and some schools in Florida and Connecticut have in common? They are unlikely recruits to the war on Valentines Day. In 2011 the governor of Belgorod banned celebration of the holiday in educational and cultural institutions on the【C1】______that it was harmful to Russian spirituality and【C2】______. Last year two schools in Orange County, Florida,【C3】______Valentines gift-giving, citing such reasons【C4】______the need to 'maintain instructional focus' and '【C5】______distraction'. And this year a school in Connecticut wrote to parents to say it would be【C6】______sweets and parties on February 14th with healthy snacks and【C7】______activities. This puts them all on the【C8】______side as many Muslim countries that have banned the celebration of Valentines Day. Saudi Arabia has gone so【C9】______as to ban all things red from flowers and gift shops on the day—with little effect【C10】______to create a black market for red roses. A Kyrgyzstans leader recently urged his fellow legislators to【C11】______a ban, too, dubbing Valentines Day a 'holiday from the devil'. Originally a Christian【C12】______associated with several victims called Valentine, February 14th was also the day when birds chose their mates in folk stories. In 1400 Charles VI of France picked the date to propose a 'High Court of Love',【C13】______matters of the heart. The passing of love notes became fashionable in England in the 1700s, and in 1797 'The Young Mans Valentine Writer' was published, formalizing a long【C14】______of telling men how to propose. In 1913 Hallmark produced their first【C15】______Valentines card. In the 1980s the diamond industry followed flowers and chocolates businessmen, who had already【C16】______Valentines Day as a moment to give (or expect) a【C17】______gift. What bothers some of Valentines Days enemies is its Christian, or Western, origins. For others the problem is the stimulation to commerciality, evil or even unhealthy eating.【C18】______their battle is doomed to failure. Valentines Day has a conveniently unspecific origin myth. It【C19】______cheer to the post-Christmas depression. It provides an opportunity to give and get, and, for businesses, to【C20】______. 【C1】